Kyle Shanahan explains Trey Lance’s on-field Absence

The 49ers are rolling right now, sitting at 6-5 after an impressive 34-26 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been playing out of his skin of late, averaging an 111.88 passer rating over the previous five weeks.

Early in their campaign, San Francisco utilized Lance in red zone situations, appearing in Weeks 1, 3, 4 and 5, totalling one touchdown and one interception. Though Lance, has only taken five snaps at Jacksonville in Week 11.

Lance suffered a knee injury during his first start in early October and has sparingly seen the field since. Why? Allow Kyle Shanahan to explain.

“It’s more about me, to tell you the truth,” Shanahan said Monday, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “In terms of calling plays, we get into a rhythm of attacking a defense and what fronts they are playing and what coverages. Every play kind of plays off the next play and you get a feel, our players do and I, of what we are going to.”

Lance’s inclusion makes things unpredictable for the opposing team, but Shanahan admitted it also makes his life more complex, with defenses also unforeseeable.

“What’s been hard on me, that I didn’t realize, is when you do bring in a different quarterback who gets a different set of plays, it’s almost the first play I’ve been seeing of a new defense,” Shanahan told local media. “You see what fronts and coverages they are doing but they are doing it completely to a plan as a threat of the runner at that position.

“I don’t know what to anticipate with it, and then I got to stay in it for a while to get a feel for that. And then you go back and that feels kind of off for the last guy, so it kind of hurts my rhythm a little bit of understanding what a defense is getting. That’s why personally as the year has gone I’ve gotten a little more away from it because I like to get a feel for what the defense is doing.”

In Lance’s absence, the 49ers have thrived — winning four of their last five — including a crucial divisional win over the Rams. With things looking smooth in the Bay, there’s no reason for the third overall pick to see game time in this moment.

Lance’s time will come, but for now Garoppolo is the captain of Shanahan’s ship, of that there is no doubt.